Railway switch



'1 63 1 Aug. 16, D c. BOONE ET AL 1 I RAILWAY SWITCH Filed Oct. 25. 1926 Patented Aug. 16, 1927. 7

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DOCTOR c. BOONE AND JOHN T. BURKETT, or WELCH, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNORS,

BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, on ONE-FOURTH To SAID BURKETT, ONE- HALF '10- ROSA Q. TAYLOR, A D ONE-FOURTH To w. c. MITCHELL AND JOHN C. HURT, ALL or WELGH, WES VIRGINIA.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

Application filed October 1926. Serial No.'144;081.

This invention relates to railway switches, and particularly-to a switch whose switch rails are automatically set in one switching position through the action of the wheels of the car or motor in transit, the said: device having means for restoring the switch rails to the positions occupied prior to their being operated as aforesaid; the said invention also includingnovel means for yieldingly retaining the switch. rails in'the adjustments mentioned.

It is an object of this invention specifically to provide a device for use in mines whereby an operator on a car in entering the mine may expeditiously and without stopping the car on which he is riding operate the switch pointsto cause the car or motor toenter the mine by one track, the said switch points being retained in said position until the car or mot-or coming out of the mine operates the switch points in an opposite direction. By the means just stated, tracks and a'switch therefor may be economically operated without danger to the operator and without the necessity of stopping the train in order that the switch may be manipulated. Furthermore, the switch of the character indicated has proven satisfactory in use and has been proven comparatively inexpensive to install and maintain.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consistsin the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of a section of a track with a device embodying the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 illustrates a View in elevation of the switch stand and lever and a fragment of a connecting rod therefrom; and

Figure 3 illustrates a view of the switch operating means in a different position.

In these drawings, 5 denotes the rails of the main track, 6 and 7 the rails of one of the tracks into the mine, which rails form the track for the ingoing travel, and 8 and 9 denote the rails of the track by which the cars leave the mine. The switch rails or points 10 and 11 may be-pivotally connected tothe rails 7 and 9, respectively, to coac-t with the rails of the main track at the switch junction, as those skilled in the art will understand. Any appropriatemeansmaybe provided for pivotally connecting the switch rails to the beforementioned rails, and the inventors do not wish tobelimited with regard to these details.

The switch rails 10 and 11 are connected by a bar 12-and. they move inunison through force applied to the switch rail 10 when the wheels of a motoror car strike'itwhen coming out of'the mine, or under the-influence of a switch operating mechanism that is manually operated, as: will presently appear.

A bell crank lever 13 is osci llatable on a pivot 14 and this pivot may be appropriately anchored to a plate 1'5 and: to a bracket 16,0r other means for holdingit maybe employed. One arm of the bell crank lever is connected tothe bar 12'by a suitable pivot 17 and the opposite end of the bell: crank is 'pivotally connected toa link 1 8-by'a pin19; The link oscillates on a pivot 20 of a spring 21 and the spring has one of its ends engaging an abutment at 22. Between the abutment and the pivot 20 the spring has atension or pull exerted on it, as here shown, through the medium of a turnbuckle 23 and the threaded elements 24 and 25 which it engages, the said threaded elements being connected to the spring and to a stationary object, respectively. The tension of the spring may be increased or diminished by the manipulation of the turnbuckle, and the said spring will operate to exert pressure through the link 18 on the bell crank lever for the purpose of operating the switch rails when the pivot 9 has been moved in either direction past the axes of the pivots 14 and 20.

A thrust rod 26 of appropriate material has slot 27 in one end which receives the pivot 19, and this thrust rod is intended to operate the bell crank and the switch rails, or to permit movement of the switch rails independently of the said rod through the clearance afforded by the presence of the slot.

The thrust rod is connected to a manually operated lever 28 by a pin 29 in a slot 30, which slot 30 also permits certain move ment of the thrust rod independently of the lever 28, but it is the intention of the inventors that the relation of parts shall be such that when the switch lever 28 moves in the direction of the pointer (Fig. 2), the switch rails will be moved in the direction of the pointer between the switch rails in Fig. 1 and the thrust rod will move in the direction of the pointers applied to the thrust rod in Figs. 1 and 2, and that a reversal of these movements will take place when the switch lever is operated in a direction opposite to the direction of the pointer at the switch lever on Fig. 2.

It will be apparent from an inspection of the drawing that when a car is moving on rails 8 and .9 in a left hand direction, the flange of the car will move the switch points so that the switch rail 11 will engage a rail of the main track, and the switch rail will be open with respect to the other rail of said track. It, when the switch rails are in said position, an operator manipulates the lever 28 to swing it on its pivot, the switch rails will be moved in a reverse direction and the switch rails will be held in either position through the action of the spring stated.

The switch lever is oscillatable on a pivot 31 of any appropriate switch stand 32, here conventionally shown, and this switch stand may be located at any distance from the switch within the limits of effective action.

We claim:

1. In a railway track, a main track and branch tracks therefor, switch rails operatively connected to the rails of one of the tracks and having their switch points in operative relation to the rails of the main track, means for connecting the switch rails whereby they are operated in unison, a bell crank pivotally connected to said means, a link pivotally connected to the bell crank,

a spring bar having one end bearing against an abutment and to the opposite end of which the link is pivotally connected, means for producing a tension on the spring bar whereby the pivot of the link is pressed toward the pivot of the bell crank, a thrust rod operatively connected to the pivot between the bell crank and the link, and means for operating the thrust rod.

2. In a railway track, a main track and branch tracks therefor, switch rails operatively connected to the rails of one of the tracks and having their switch points in operative relation to the rails of the main track, means for connecting the switch rails whereby they are operated in unison, a bell crank pivotally connected to said means, a link pivotally connected to the bell crank, a spring bar having one end bearing against an abutment and to the opposite end of which the link is pivotally connected, means for producing a tension on the spring bar whereby the pivot of the link is pressed toward the pivot of the bell crank, a thrust rod operatively connected to the pivot between the bell crank and the link, a switch stand, and a lever pivoted thereto and to the thrust rod for operating the thrust rod.

DOCTOR C. BOONE. JOHN T. BURKETT. 

